There’s a documentary on the way about Pepe the Frog – entertainment.ie

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What do you do when something you've created, a drawing or a song, has become a symbol and a beacon for the worst people?

Do you disown yourself from it, do you try to regain control, or do you try to realign that creation to its original intent? That's exactly the same dilemma that Matt Furie faced when the comic-book character he created, Pepe The Frog, became a symbol for neo-Nazis and white nationalists.

The upcoming documentary 'Feels Good Man' tells the inexplicable tale of how Pepe The Frog, originally posted on MySpace of all places, became co-opted as a meme by neo-Nazis, white nationalists, and the alt-right - making it all the way to Donald Trump.

In the documentary, Furie details how his creation - which was originally about a slacker frog who likes to pee with his pants down around his ankles and says that it "feels good man" - became used in some horrific imagery, from what he originally intended.

On top of that, the documentary also touches on how extremist politics have been shaped by dark corners of the internet, whether something as ephemeral as a meme can be redeemed (or even it should be), and coming to terms with the fact that something you've created is ultimately being used against you and those you love.

'Feels Good Man' premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and will be available from September 4th.

Here's the trailer.

The rest is here:

There's a documentary on the way about Pepe the Frog - entertainment.ie

Dem AGs Sue to Stop Rule Revoking Transgender Protections – DTN The Progressive Farmer

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The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court against the Department of Health and Human Services, secretary Alex Azar and civil rights chief Roger Severino, seeks an injunction to stop the rule from taking effect. The attorneys general argue it violates the Fifth Amendment's equal protection clause.

A message seeking comment was left with a spokesperson for the department.

The Trump Administration pushed ahead with the rule change even after a Supreme Court ruling last month barring workplace sex discrimination against LGBT people, moving to show Trump's religious and socially conservative supporters that he remains committed to their causes ahead of the November election.

Under the change, Health and Human Services said it will enforce sex discrimination protections according to the plain meaning of the word 'sex' as male or female and as determined by biology. That rewrites an Obama-era regulation that sought a broader understanding shaped by a person's internal sense of being male, female, neither or a combination.

The lawsuit brought by the attorneys general is part of an expected flurry of lawsuits challenging the lawsuit, including one filed last month by the LGBT civil rights organization Lambda Legal. Such groups say explicit protections are needed for people seeking sex-reassignment treatment, and even for transgender people who need care for common illnesses such as diabetes or heart problems.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, both frequent Trump foes, assisted James in crafting the lawsuit. Becerra said implementing the rule while coronavirus continues to rage across the country is especially cruel.

This is a mean and unconstitutional rule in any context, Becerra said. But authorizing discrimination in our health care system at this time, when our nation is suffering through a pandemic, is unbelievably immoral.

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Dem AGs Sue to Stop Rule Revoking Transgender Protections - DTN The Progressive Farmer

Lawyer suspected in fatal shooting at N.J. federal judges home may have been targeting another judge – NJ.com

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The now-deceased lawyer suspected of fatally shooting the son and seriously wounding the husband of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas in New Jersey on Sunday may have been targeting at least one other judge in New York.

Roy Den Hollander had a photo of that states Chief Judge Janet DiFiore in his car, her spokesman told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday.

Thats what I understand to be true. At this point, thats all I have, said Lucian Chalfen, director of communications for New York State Courts. The information, which was relayed to Chalfen from the FBI, was first reported in the New York Times.

Den Hollander, a self-described anti-feminist lawyer, was found dead in his car of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Rockland, New York, about a two-hour drive from the North Brunswick home of Salas, officials have said.

From left, U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, Roy Den Hollander and New York State Chief Judge Janet DiFiore.File

Investigators say Den Hollander, whose age in public documents is reported as 69 and 72, fatally shot the 20-year-old son of Salas, Daniel Anderl, and wounded her husband, criminal defense attorney Mark Anderl, 63, at their home about 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The son died of multiple gunshot wounds and Mark Anderl was critical but stable condition at a local hospital, according to North Brunswick Mayor Francis Womack.

The family was attacked by a man wearing a face covering and a FedEx delivery driver uniform, officials said. Salas was in the basement at the time of the shooting as was not hurt.

Daniel Anderl, 20. (Photo courtesy of Catholic University)

The New York Times, citing two law enforcement officials, reported the FBI is investigating whether Den Hollander was involved in the July 11 killing of mens rights lawyer Marc Angelucci in San Bernardino, California.

Angelucci was shot at his front door by a gunman wearing a FedEx uniform, according to published reports.

Marc AngelucciFacebook

Based in Newark, Salas was the first Hispanic woman to be appointed to the U.S. District Court in New Jersey. She was nominated by President Obama as a U.S. District Court judge in December 2010 and confirmed by the Senate in June 2011.

Salas was the judge in a 2015 lawsuit Den Hollander filed in federal court claiming the Selective Service System, which requires men to register for military draft, discriminates against both sexes in violation of Equal Protection as incorporated into the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Den Hollander wrote in an online essay in 2019 about having cancer and about a planned hearing apparently before Salas.

Media across the street from the home of Judge Esther Salas where her husband Mark Andrel was shot and their son Daniel was killed, in North Brunswick, N.J. July, 20, 2020 Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Lawyer suspected in fatal shooting at N.J. federal judges home may have been targeting another judge - NJ.com

This felon still has more to answer for – Las Vegas Sun

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By Harry Litman

Monday, July 20, 2020 | 2 a.m.

President Donald Trumps commutation of Roger Stones sentence is a body blow to two core democratic values.

The first, and most immediate, is the principle of fair and impartial justice for all. It is a travesty that Stone who was plainly guilty of serious crimes, who thumbed his nose repeatedly at the justice system, who continues to challenge his convictions is now a free man. There is little that can be done now to reverse that injustice.

The second principle is the publics right to know, in this case about the full story of the 2016 election and the Trump campaigns complicity in Russias attack on American institutions. Here Stone may yet be called to account, and that should be a goal shared across political boundaries.

The perversion of justice in Stones case stinks. The commutation vividly illustrates Trumps corrupt two-tiered system: the full force of law for everyone but his cronies and supporters. The special status of Trumpers provided Stone a pass on the most basic of the norms associated with such executive branch actions: People convicted of crimes are not supposed to be eligible for commutation until they begin to serve their sentences and cease challenging their convictions, neither of which Stone has done.

In fact, Stones commutation is arguably the most corrupt use of the presidents constitutionally granted pardon power in history and one of the most corrupt acts of Trumps abysmal presidency. Other controversial pardons in history have provided preferential treatment to friends of the president; this one served to directly protect Boss Trump himself. Trump got Stones silence, Stone got freedom, and the public got shafted.

The exact nature of that shafting is not trivial. As special counsel Robert Muellers report makes clear, Stones lies and his obstruction, including witness tampering are major reasons why to this day, there are large gaps in our understanding of the Russian attack on the 2016 election and the Trump campaigns complicity in it.

Stone is the key witness on two not fully answered questions. The first is whether Trump and the campaign knew in advance about or even collaborated on the WikiLeaks dump of purloined emails from the Clinton campaign. Indeed, freshly unredacted material in the Mueller report indicates that Paul Manafort told Mueller that Stone had been tipped off and had passed that info along to Trump or the campaign. The second question is whether Trump lied in his written answers to Mueller when he claimed he couldnt remember the specifics of any conversation with Stone in the six months before the election.

On both issues, the government should not be finished with Stone. He can and should be made to testify under penalty of perjury.

If he is subpoenaed, Stone could assert his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself. Because his sentence was commuted, as opposed to his being pardoned, his convictions stand and the book is not fully closed on the crimes. His further testimony could be used against him as regards those crimes.

But theres a fairly easy workaround, as Muellers deputy Andrew Weissmann explained in a New York Times op-ed this week. If Stone takes the Fifth, the government could grant him immunity, and his liability would disappear.

Immunity isnt something the government offers casually, but it is appropriate when the value of witness testimony is paramount as is the case here and there is no other way to get it. Once immunized, if Stone were to persist in refusing to answer questions, he could be jailed for civil contempt until he agreed to talk. And if he lied (again), he would be subject to brand new perjury charges.

Where should this testimony take place? I suggest Congress, either as part of regular congressional hearings or, possibly, under the aegis of a broad-based commission on Russian election interference, much like the commissions that investigated 9/11 and the Kennedy assassination. Such investigations are specifically meant to inform the American people.

It is galling that the president has managed to foil nearly every effort to impose punishment on his cronies and himself. The ledger is not yet closed, however, and a fuller reckoning may await them after Trump leaves office.

In the meantime, the American people and their lawmakers urgently need to get the fullest possible account of exactly what happened to our election infrastructure in 2016. Examining systemic failures and enemy attacks is what democracies do, not least because it is the only way to reduce the risk of similar harms going forward.

Trump seems to believe that by commuting Stones sentence he closed the book on what Stone knows, ensuring his buddys lifelong silence. Trump has the power to keep Stone out of prison for the felonies he has been convicted of, but keeping him silent is another matter. Commutation notwithstanding, its likely the day will come when Stone has to sing or sink.

Harry Litman is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

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This felon still has more to answer for - Las Vegas Sun

Salena Zito column: May religious liberty stand the test of time and culture – Richmond.com

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Somewhere along the line, this little village was reclaimed by the land. For years, this was where the hopes and dreams of immigrants were realized, the dreams of many Welsh Baptists and Quakers who fled their homeland when the British government persecuted them for their dissent from the Church of England. That same government also wanted to force them to adhere to English culture.

All that is left standing is the Enon Baptist Church a tidy, white, clapboard structure that, starting in 1848, offered the faithful the ability to freely practice their religion, without fear of imprisonment or flogging, in the wild frontier of a country that barely had passed its 50th year of existence.

Five years after shutting its doors for good, the Enon Baptist Church stands on the precipice of either returning to the soil, or finding an enterprising buyer to plunk down $50,000 and bring it back to a new life.

While the structure like the people who founded it is sturdy, the ground it sits on is encroaching at a rapid pace.

It is lost on the loudest voices in our modern culture what religious liberty means to people of faith.

Perhaps it is because those curators of popular culture do not practice a religion, have never associated with anyone who has, and/or live in a community in which adherence to ideologies such as climate change or social justice have replaced adherence to a belief in a higher being.

Religious liberty is enshrined in our Constitution. The First Amendment declares the right of all to freely exercise religion, without being coerced to join an established church, something the early Welsh settlers fled.

People also hold the right to abstain from action in accordance with ones religious beliefs. Freedom of religion exists for organizations as well as individuals.

After nearly a decade of asking for a religious exemption from a contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act and subsequent litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court reinforced our foundational freedom of religious liberty in a 7-2 decision that upheld the right of the Little Sisters of the Poor to follow its religious convictions.

As a sign of our deeply disturbing, polarizing times, instead of everyone celebrating liberty from an unconstitutional government mandate, it became a partisan mocking of people of faith.

There were headlines such as The Supreme Court sidelines women in favor of religious bosses at Slate, Supreme Court birth control ruling shows how civil rights and abortion access will be limited at NBC and The Roberts court curtails birth control access. Again. from The New York Times editorial board.

Instead of celebrating our religious liberty remaining intact, Joe Biden said in a statement he was disappointed and that the ruling would make it easier for President Donald Trump to continue to strip health care from women attempting to carve out broad exemptions to the Affordable Care Acts commitment to giving all women free access to recommended contraception.

Biden completely dismissed the fundamentals of our Constitution in favor of a political wedge issue. No one is taking health care away from women, nor is mandated birth control a right. Furthermore, this battle never was about Biden or former President Barack Obama; it always was about a government policy that required religious organizations to violate their moral and religious convictions.

The press, Biden, Democrats and the curators of our popular culture did not frame this as the Supreme Court protecting our religious freedom.

It is as if none of them had any historical knowledge of how much that very freedom is what led waves of immigrants here.

Of course, we know thats not true. These are very smart people who went to the best universities money can buy.

It is just that this constitutional freedom has little meaning to many of them. So, therefore, it should not be celebrated.

The fear among people of faith in this country is that the irreligious and prejudiced viewpoints of those who control our culture (such as much of our larger news organizations, entertainers, corporations and the Democratic Party) will erase those protections for religious freedom, leaving that constitutional right extremely fragile.

And like the village of Enon, reclaimed by the environment, the right may succumb to the virtuosity of the liberals.

Salena Zito is a CNN political analyst, and a staff reporter and columnist for the Washington Examiner.

2020, creators.com

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Salena Zito column: May religious liberty stand the test of time and culture - Richmond.com

The Rising Fourth Wave: Feminist Activism on Digital Platforms in India – Observer Research Foundation

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Feminist movements have historically lacked inclusivity, often growing within a limited Western upper-class psyche, based on their own challenges and needs. The digital revolution has paved the way for a new iteration of feminism. The digital space can bolster feminist activist movements by encouraging inclusion and improving accessibility in organising collective action. It also helps weave local stories with global narratives to highlight common structural inequalities. At the same time, however, the digital space can also become a breeding ground for sexism and misogyny. This brief attempts to analyse how digitisation can affect womens movements, especially in emerging economies like India. It does so by viewing contemporary cyberfeminism through postcolonial and postmodern feminist theories. The brief also highlights the strengths and deficits of digital activism.

Attribution: Shruti Jain, The Rising Fourth Wave: Feminist Activism and Digital Platforms in India, ORF Issue Brief No. 384, July 2020, Observer Research Foundation.

Feminism consists of social, economic and political movements and theories that are concerned with gender inequalities and gaining equal rights for women. In the West, the evolution of the feminist struggle is often referred to as waves of change, reflecting peaks and troughs of the movement. The first wave of feminism began in the late 19th and early 20th century in the West, with the primary goal of securing voting rights.[1] The second wave emerged in the 1960s amid a rising self-consciousness for minority groups, and against the backdrop of civil rights and anti-war sentiments. The movement largely focused on empowering minority groups over issues like reproductive rights and sexuality.2 The third wave of feminism began in the early 1990s, surging from the new postcolonial and neoliberal world order. The third wave deconstructed the idea of universal womanhood, with the focus moving from communal objectives to individual rights.[2]

This brief borrows the wave analogy to establish the chronology of Indian feminist politics. The foundation of Indian feminismthe first wavewas laid by the reform and anti-colonial movements of the 19th century. The aims of the movement centred around including women in public life with better political rights, access to education and employment in the context of the colonial state.[3] Various social reformers took up specific issues to improve the status of women. Reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, for instance, argued against the ideas of sati, polygamy, early marriage and permanent widowhood.[4] Further, the Brahmo Samaj gave impetus to mass education of girls and women. The movement for education and social reform was largely led by upper-caste Bengali Women.[5] The reformist movement, as a result, led to various social gains such as the legalisation of widow remarriage in 1856 and the abolition of sati.[6] The later part of the struggle remained preoccupied with the issues on property and inheritance, limiting the composition of the movement to upper-caste and elite class women.[7]

After independence, India began to look inward to resolve social issues and create a systematic development plan for women. This second wave of feminism became broader as the intersectionality of caste, class and culture were recognised by the state. The movement entered the private sphere to claim equal rights pertaining to marriage, divorce, succession, justice for dowry and sexual violence, and economic opportunities.[8] An exemplification of this can be found with the passing of Hindu code bills in 1950s, which provided equal rights to women through laws on divorce, marriage, adoption and inheritance.[9] With the improvement in literacy levels and free movement, Indian women were beginning to determine their place in society and develop identity-consciousness. The key difference between the first and second wave was that the former was espoused by men on behalf of women and did not seem to challenge the hegemony of the Indian patriarchal social structure, instead focusing on specific cultural issues that conflicted with the idea of Western liberalisation. The latter was largely led by women and womens organisations. The lines between womens social, economic and political rights became blurred in this period. The Chipko movement in 1973, for instance, saw women protest for their rights against environmental and economical calamities.[10] This movement is key in Indian feminism because not only was it a demand for constitutional rights, it also stood against the patriarchal social structures at a grassroots level.

In 1980, the Five-Year Plan decided to focus on the health, employment and education of women, marking the beginning of the third wave of Indian feminism.[11] Women-led non-government organisations proliferated in a bid to provide support to other women. The movement also took up the rights of Dalit and marginalised women.[12] The developmental programmes and womens groups largely directed their effort to raise the economic and social status of women. Principally, womens groups sought the empowerment of women to integrate them into the mainstream.

With the effects of economic liberalisation and the advent of modern technology, by the 2000s, women in India witnessed a cultural shift that stressed on rights such as womens freedom, choice and independence. Although the term fourth-wave feminism originated in the West, it emerged in India almost synchronously due to the widespread use of social media.

The merging of technology with the physical world has revolutionised the global economic, social and political landscape. In theory, technologyas embodied by the digital revolutionprovides an opportunity to policymakers to create a more inclusive future. Tools like blogging and social media have led to the democratisation of the feminist movement by providing accessibility, encouraging diversity, and inspiring leadership in a movement that has historically been lacking these elements. Online or cyberfeminists make use of blogging and social media as a measure of political mobilisation and community building.[13] Social media allows for the swift dissemination of knowledge and information across borders, and thus enables transnational feminist networks. Using digital tools, feminists have appropriated the internet culture with the use of humour and other creative satirical formats as a mode of communication.[14]

In 2014, two US-based feminists created the #FeministsAreUgly hashtag on Twitter to satirise the notion that feminists are unattractive, and to allow women of colour to speak about cultural privilege and the dominant norms of beauty. This challenged the prevailing body-shaming practices online, as well as the perceptions of what is considered beautiful or attractive.[15] The discourse around sexual harassment has also gained momentum around the world, and has the potential to expose the latent toxic culture of sexualised power in peoples everyday encounters. For instance, the Me Too movement against sexual harassment, led by American activist Tarana Burke, gained worldwide popularity through Twitter in 2017.[16] Several bloggers have called for micro-rebellions, spreading feminism in the free pathways of cyberspace. The When Women Refuse blog, for instance, was started after several women were killed in California, US, for rejecting the advances of men, and has since been used to report womens experiences with sexual violence.[17] In countries like Saudi Arabia, these micro-rebellions engage with issues beyond sexuality and body, such as those against discriminatory state regulations.[18]

Historically, feminism has been viewed within a restricted Western lens. Third world women are often seen as a powerless victimised group in comparison to liberated Western feminists, creating an impediment to an inclusive, transnational feminist movement. However, as more women of different nationalities, races, classes and cultures gain digital access, the feminist discourse expands to include the voices of those who have previously been excluded. This promotes a postmodernist and postcolonial perspective of feminism, which acknowledges diversity in the movement and accepts multiple truths, roles and realities as part of its focus. It lets marginal groups of women reconceptualise feminism based on their own experiences and beliefs.

According to a study by Pew Research Center, 39 percent of internet users engage in social and political issues on social media. About 45 percent are between the ages of 18-29 years.[19] Young cyberfeminists also make use of the internet and pop culture references to connect with their contemporaries. The youth are thus made to feel a part of something larger, by not only consuming this content but also creating it.[20]

At the same time, digital feminist activity can also be exclusionist because dominant cultures and languages have a significant role in selecting those who can be heard, included and seen in the movement. Disparity in internet access within geographical locations and socio-economic class structure is often a barrier in reaching out to the masses.[21]

The digital space has also become a hotbed for online harassment, bullying and sexual exploitation. It not only facilitates prevailing forms of misogyny but also gives rise to new ones that are intricately connected with the algorithmic politics of certain platforms, the cultural bias that permeates while producing these technologies, and the communities that use them.[22]

The internet separates the women from their material selves and has been considered as a promising new avenue. According to feminist activist Faith Wilding, there is a tendency though among many cyberfeminists to indulge techno-utopian expectations that the new e-media will offer women a fresh start to create new languages, programs, platforms, images, fluid identities and multi-subject definitions in cyberspace; that in fact women can recode, redesign, and reprogram information technology to help change the feminine condition.[23]

Traditional offline activism mobilised people through street or door-to-door campaigning, with the help of existing social networks and membership of organisations, political parties or educational institutions.[24] Digital activism, on the other hand, can mobilise a large number of people within minutes, far quicker than offline activism. It also fosters an interactive approach, where diverse groups of people can participate through online blogs, petitions and articles while connecting with others. Prior to the advancement of digital tools, global feminist movements were largely shaped by a few through academic discourse.[25] Although academia continues to form the backbone of most movements, cyberfeminism has paved a new path for feminist activism.

The Everyday Sexism Project, an online initiative launched in 2012 by British feminist writer Laura Bates, is one of many online movements that marked the beginning of the fourth wave of feminism. It has encouraged tens of thousands of women around the world to write about the sexual harassment, workplace discrimination and instances of body shaming they encounter in their everyday lives. About 6,000 of these stories, related to cases of sexual harassment, were used to train 2,000 police officers to prevent harassment cases in London.[26] It has also helped create public awareness, with the reporting of sexual harassment cases on London public transport increasing significantly after the initiative.[27]

Although the fourth wave of feminism is still in its nascent stage in India, women are using digital tools to demand accountability from their governments, corporations and leaders. In India, digital feminist movements largely rely on social media platforms. In 2017, the #LahuKaLagaan hashtag took over on Twitter to campaign against the 12 percent tax on sanitary napkins, with the period tax being scrapped in 2018 as a result of the movement.[28] In 2012, in the aftermath of the death of a 23-year-old rape victim in Delhi, widespread protests broke out under the Nirbhaya movement. The protests spread to social media as well. Hashtags like #Delhibraveheart were used by millions in support of justice for the victim. This online rage coupled with the street protests garnered global attention and compelled an otherwise apathetic government to take quick action.[29] Subsequently, Indias rape laws were amended to expand the definition of rape, the punishment for rape convicts was revised to a prolonged life term and even the death penalty, and stringent punishments were determined for offences like acid attacks, stalking and voyeurism.[30] A special fund and fast-track courts were also made available for the safety and security of women, to be administered by the Indian government.[31]

The Delhi rape incident brought womens safety in public places to the forefront of policy discourse. In the ethnographic work Why Loiter, feminist sociologist Shilpa Padke showed that the act of loitering is more prevalent among men, while women are rarely alone in public spaces like parks and beaches.[32] In 2017, this culminated in the #WhyLoiter hashtag trending on Twitter, with women posting pictures and stories of how they were reclaiming public spaces, creating the narrative of resisting male domination and patriarchy in the physical and virtual spaces. By 2018, the #MeToo movement gained momentum in India, enabling women to share their stories of sexual harassment on social media. It also led to activists successfully lobbying the government to strengthen theSexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, which previously had many weaknesses.[33] Several activists also raised concerns over the discriminatory defamation laws in India that enable women to be prosecuted if they are unable to prove their accusation.[34]

The virtual nature of the Internet and its interconnectedness allows people to participate in ongoing dialogues on various issues, from patriarchy and gender politics to personal experiences. With cyberfeminism becoming the norm, it is increasingly important to consider who controls the discourse and how it relates to race, class and other social structures. Transnational and postcolonial feminists, such as Chandra Talapade Mohanty, recognise that western forms of feminism tend to homogenise and universalise the experiences of all women, no matter where they are. Mohanty writes, Western feminists appropriate and colonise the fundamental complexities and conflicts which characterise the lives of women of different classes, religions, cultures, races and castes in these countries. It is in the process of homogenisation and systemisation of the oppression of women in the third world that power is exercised in much of recent Western feminist discourse and this power needs to be defined and named.[35]

Even in India, several feminist scholars provided the intellectual representation but held on to Western ideas.[36] They failed to address the needs of the minority. For instance, with the Shah Bano case, which sought to discuss the controversial maintenance of aggrieved divorced Muslim women, despite having a strong intellectual representation, womens groups failed to garner unanimous support on the issue because they were unable to envisage the predicament and limitations of Indian Muslim women. The issue turned political instead of remaining one of womens rights, and several womens groups held polarising views, further fragmenting the support for it.[37] Consequently, the passing of The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986, represented the massive failure of the Indian government to enforce equal rights for Muslim women. It also showcased the inability of womens groups to mass mobilise and arrive at a consensus on the cause.

Digitisation, to a certain extent, allows for wider feminist discussions to occur, overcoming spatial limitations and redefining what activism and social movements can look like. It provides an outlet for new opportunities for the empowerment of other marginalised women. For instance, in 2013, acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal gathered 27,000 signatures through an online petition, StopAcidSale, to curb the sales of acid and took the issue to the Supreme Court. The campaign gained nationwide attention and allowed several other acid attack survivors to voice their support for the ban on acid sale. In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the plea and introduced restrictions on the sale of acid, and recognised it as a crime under Section 326 of the Indian Penal Code, which categorises acts voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means.[38]

Another study of women's movements on social media by Sujatha Subramanium, who interviewed a Dalit feminist activist, noted, "In Kerala, the voices of subaltern groups are very prominent on social media, especially sexual minorities and Dalit groups. On social media, all of us are publishers. Only some communities get the space to get published in mainstream media. Social media allows marginalised voices the possibility of being heard in the public discourse.[39]

On the internet, the option of anonymity enables women to construct their identity on their own terms. They can discuss issues that are otherwise considered too sensitive for the public domain. For women of colour, the online political organising of African American women globally reflects how cyberfeminism can transcend nations, states and economic classes. For instance, #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen was initiated by digital feminists to counter the discrimination present in online feminist debates, which highlight issues only related to middle-class white women. The hashtag went viral and gave women of colour an opportunity to reclaim their narratives online.[40] For many, the Internet is a "safe space" to vent against a repressive gender regime in the offline world.[41] The rise in global awareness and opposition to the repressive Taliban regime by the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan is another example of the successful use of the Internet by a global feminist organisation.[42]

However, cyberfeminism has created a rift between the ideologies of the older and younger generation of feminists. In India, the divide mainly emerged due to the structural difference of power between feminist groups. A Facebook page managed by Dalit women (Dalit Women Fight) states the importance of recognising the unequal caste structure that exists in feminist discourses and academia.[43] It stresses that there are linkages between caste and patriarchy, and that the Me Too movement will not be relevant for Dalit women unless intersectional marginalities are acknowledged.[44]

Postcolonial feminists like Mohanty claim that Western feminists tend to rely only on their value system and view themselves as saviours for other women.[45] By assuming that global sisterhood exists, they fail to realise that the women across the world do not necessarily share the same conditions of discrimination as women in Western countries. Like most other feminists in the Global South, Indian feminists borrow from mainstream Western feminism on social media to advance their agenda, typically addressing upper and middle-class women. However, often without recognising that the movement does not affect all women equally, such an agenda conversely defeats the very purpose of the movement by silencing the marginalised. The movement must, therefore, mould itself whilst considering the historical and cultural context of the issue. For instance, feminism may hold a different meaning for rural Indian women who struggle to access necessities like food, healthcare and education. Issues like equal pay, sexual harassment and reclaiming public spaces will mean little to them.

Further, language barriers not only make grassroots-level research difficult, but also challenge the assimilation of marginalised voices into the larger global movement. As most mainstream online feminist movements are Anglicised, the lack of content in local languages limits womens participation at the grassroots.[46] The digital age is characterised by fault lines that restrict women at grassroots level from accessing the same privileges as other women.

Cyberfeminism cannot be viewed as the panacea for a universal claim of gender equality. The issue of a digital-divide continues to be a concern for cyberfeminism. The gap between those with and without digital access, including digital devices and internet, creates a schism in the idea of a universal cyberfeminist movement. The poorest and most marginalised are least likely to have internet access; until 2018, only 30 percent of women had access to the internet, of which only about 12 percent were from rural areas.[47] Hence, India still has a long way to go for democratic online feminism to function independent of offline activism.

To realise the full potential of digital activism, it is necessary to recognise the importance of accessible and affordable information and communication technologies. The focus needs to be on creating educational programmes to teach underrepresented groups how to access and use these technologies. To reach the women who are not yet online, it is also necessary to forge a connection between online activism and offline on-ground initiatives. In Gender and the Politics of Possibilities: Rethinking Globalization, Manisha Desai demonstrates how women use the internet to network horizontally and vertically to organise into their own networks and communicate with transnational agencies.[48] Desai also illustrates how online activism is closely intertwined with on-ground resistance movements. For instance, Mexican activists repackage cyber information into radio and print information to make it available to women who lack access to the internet.[49]

In 2014, following the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria, an international campaign (#BringBackOurGirls) was launched to pressurise the authorities to do more. The campaign was embraced by former US First Lady Michelle Obama and gained tremendous international media coverage.[50] The movement not only helped rehabilitate some students after their rescue, but also grew to highlight some of Nigerias most important issuescorruption, invisibility of the poor, and lack of security.[51] This women-led social movement then extended its focus to include the demand for good governancethe safety of citizens, better healthcare, better infrastructure and a better economy.[52] Traditional feminist movements and online activism have a symbiotic relationship. The #BringBackOurGirls campaign illustrates how online networks can enable large-scale offline decentralised movements with participation of different communities, identities and voices.

The rise in the number of women on the internet has been accompanied by a similar growth in online hate and attacks against them. About 41 percent of women in the US have been sexually harassed online.[53] Studies also indicate that those who face such backlash suffer a range of psychological, professional and financial impacts.[54] Across all countries, 61 percent of those who said they had faced online abuse or harassment also said they had experienced loss of self-confidence or lower self-esteem as a result.[55] Digital misogyny in the form of hate speech, physical threats and obscene language have a deep impact on womens voices online, that results in self-censoring, assuming an anonymous identity or a pseudonym, or withdrawing from online domains altogether.[56]

Online abuse is also linked to domestic violence against women. According to research by Womens Aid, 48 percent of women in the UK who had experienced violence at the hands of a partner also reported experiencing online abuse once they had left the relationship. The study also revealed that 38 percent of women had been stalked online after they had left their partners.[57] Such data indicates that the internet not only allows violent ex-partners to use it as another tool to abuse women, but also to incite others to join in their attacks. Technology, thus, enables the continuation of assault beyond the scope of physical space.

According to research conducted by UK think tank Demos, women in the public eye received the most abuse on Twitter.[58] The research also found that, surprisingly, much of the online abuse is perpetrated by women themselves. About 55 percent of the propagators were found to be women and were almost as likely to use the same derogatory language as had been used by their male counterparts against them.[59]

The digital space enables one to assemble country-specific resources and data that can help victims and survivors of domestic violence to empower themselves. Several survivor forums and groups have enabled women to seek support, help and advice on domestic and gender-based violence.[60] Online technologies are key in terms of disseminating information. Online forums often play a crucial part for many women to realise that their relationship may be abusive. Access to the internet helps the victim to find the right information regarding the legal system, financial support and refuges. It also enables them to reintegrate into society, share their knowledge, offer peer support, and raise awareness about domestic violence. In this way, women traverse through public and private boundaries that are mostly local and community-based but also, increasingly, transnational.

Although online misogyny may be a new phenomenon, it resonates with patriarchal attempts to limit womens public presence and stifle their voices, viewing them as inferior. Patriarchal systems also warn that women who overstep their mark will be punished. Cyberfeminism is in many ways a direct response to the toxic offline and online space, and perhaps a way through which the cycle can be broken. Speaking publicly about these issues offers women the benefits of catharsis, as well as a sense of solidarity. The presence of online misogyny could be symptomatic of the widespread gender disparity, that is being replicated in the cybersphere, making it a profoundly inequitable space. Cyberfeminism still follows the patterns of third-wave feminism, wherein individual action and emancipation are highlighted. The call-out culture focuses on micro-rebellions and shifts the onus for change onto the individual instead of society. Highly individualised forms of feminism encourage intersectional differences and varied voices to emerge. Yet, it can also make the potential of a wider and more united transformation difficult to achieve.

For some feminists, the digital space replicates oppressive hierarchies that are embedded in a global political economy. For others, it represents a new avenue for global feminist networking and an opportunity to be active participants in their own revolution, irrespective of geographical boundaries. For still others, the internet offers a safe space and a way to not just share common experiences, but also to organise and resist repressive gender regimes. Despite the positive contributions of digital activism in building a new movement of feminism, it is often perceived to be myopic in its vision. Instances such as the Nirbhaya movement indicate that digital feminism is typically episodic or in response to an event; cyberfeminism is more reactive while offline movements are proactive. Short-term planning and high incidence of online hate could lead to a higher burn-out rate among online participants as opposed to traditional on-ground participants. Cyberfeminist movements can gain momentum quickly and can die down just as fast.

Cyberfeminism goes beyond previous feminist waves that conceived women as a homogenous group, whose interests could be represented by a singular agenda. To avoid replicating the damaging universalism of old-style feminism, it is essential that cyberfeminism becomes more diverse, decentralised and democratic. Narrowing the existing digital divide can play a crucial role in increasing the participation of marginalised women. India currently lacks the tools to encourage inclusive online movements independent of on-ground activism. There are several cultural impediments, such as language barriers, that restrict the participation of women at the grassroots level. Other factors such as the extent of digital or internet penetration and the degree of freedom of speech may influence the effectiveness of the movements. Online activism should be able to translate into offline participation, wherein they form a symbiotic relationship to support and boost each others cause. The voices of the marginalised must be represented in a fair manner to broaden the agenda. Feminist groups and organisations must consider assimilating local cultural and sociological factors while advocating for rights online. Further, increased pressure should be applied to governments, corporations and other public institutions to step up and assist in building the legislative and social structures required to recognise and deal with online misogyny. It is important to recognise that although online misogyny appears new, the problem is deep-rooted in the gender mechanisms of power and control. Digital spaces are not end goals but are means to further the agenda of making feminist resistance more inclusive and transparent.

Shruti Jain is a Research Intern at ORF, Mumbai.

[1] Martha Rampton, "Four waves of feminism,"Pacific University Oregon, October 25, 2015, 1-10.

[2] Ibid

[3] Kalpana Misra,Indian Feminism and the Post-Colonial State,Women & Politics (October 2008).

[4] Barbara Southhard. "Colonial politics and women's rights: Woman suffrage campaigns in Bengal, British India in the 1920s, Modern Asian Studies27, no. 2 (May 1993): 397-439.

[5] Ibid

[6] Ibid

[7] Ibid

[8] Kalpana Misra,Indian Feminism and the Post-Colonial State,Women & Politics (October 2008).

[9] Chandrakala S Halli., and Shridhar M. Mullal. "Dr. BR Ambedkar and Hindu Code Bill, women measure legislation,"Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR)2, no. 3 (2016): 7-10.

[10] Radha Kumar, "Contemporary Indian Feminism,"Feminist Review33, no. 1 ( November 1989): 20-29.

[11] Rekha Pande, The History of Feminism and Doing Gender in India, Revista Estudos Feministas( November 2018), 26(3).

[12] Ibid

[13] Joute Josiane, "Digital feminism: Questioning the renewal of activism,"Journal Of Research In Gender Studies vol 8, no. 1 (April 2018): 133.

[14] Emelie Lawrence and Jessica Ringrose, "@Notofeminism, #Feministsareugly, And Misandry Memes",Routledge (January 2018).

[15] Ibid

[16] Andrea Giribet, "Tarana Burke: The Woman Behind Me Too",Amnesty International, August 21, 2018.

[17] "Heart-Rending: Blogger Deanna ZandtS Blog Highlights Stories Of Women Abused By Men They Rejected", The Indian Express, November 4, 2015.

[18] Salime Zakia, 2014, "New Feminism As Personal Revolutions: Microrebellious Bodies,"Journal Of Women In Culture And Society40 (1) (September 2014): 14-20.

[19] Monica Anderson, Toor Skye, Aaron Smith, and Rainie Lee. 2018, "Activism In The Social Media Age," Pew Research Center.

[20] Martin Courtney E., and Vanessa Valenti, "#Femfuture: Online Revolution," Barnard Center for Research on Women, (2013).

[21] Melhem Samia, Claudia Morell and Nidhi Tandon, "Information And Communication Technologies For Womens Socio-Economic Empowerment",World Bank Group Working Paper Series, The World Bank, (2009).

[22] Josh, Feast, "4 Ways To Address Gender Bias In AI".Harvard Business Review, November 20, 2019.

[23] Faith Wilding, "Where Is Feminism In Cyberfeminism?",NEME, March 28, 2006.

[24] Anna, Rees, "Digital And Online Activism",RESET, May, 2020.

[25] Oglesbee Jill M, The Shah Bano Controversy: A Case Study of Individual Rights, Religious Tolerance, and the Role of the Secular State, Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse7 (2015).

[26] Kira Cochrane, "The Fourth Wave Of Feminism: Meet The Rebel Women",The Guardian, December 10, 2013.

[27] Ibid

[28] "Big And Bold Move: India Lifts Tax Over Sanitary Napkins",Shethepeople TV, July 21, 2018.

[29] "Delhi Nirbhaya Death Penalty: What do Hangings mean for Indias women",BBC, March 20, 2020.

[30] Press Trust of India, "Post-Nirbhaya Changes In Laws Not Yielded Results Due To Poor Implementation, Say Experts," India Today, March 20, 2020.

[31] Press Trust of India, "Govt Has Approved Projects Worth Rs 7000 Cr Under Nirbhaya Fund: Smriti, Business Standard, December 20, 2019.

[32] Shilpa Phadke, Unfriendly bodies, hostile cities: Reflections on loitering and gendered public space, Economic and Political Weekly, 48, (2013): 50-59.

[33] Vidhi Doshi, "After A Deluge Of #Metoo Allegations, Indian Men Claim They Are The Ones Under Attack",The Washington Post, October 15, 2018.

[34] Ibid

[35] Chandra Talpade Mohanty, "Feminism without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity," Duke University Press (Februrary 2003): 499-535.

[36] M Chaudhuri, Feminism in India: The Tale and its Telling,Revue Tiers Monde 209(1) (2012 ): 19-36.

[37] Oglesbee Jill M, The Shah Bano Controversy: A Case Study of Individual Rights, Religious Tolerance, and the Role of the Secular State, Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse7 (08 ) (2015).

[38] "Campaign Against Acid Attack",Human Rights Law Network (HRLN).

[39] Sujatha Subramaniam, From the Streets to the Web: Looking at Feminist Activism on Social Media, The Economic and Political Weekly 50 (71) (2015).

[40] Holm, Malin, and Jorge Humberto Ojeda Castro, "#solidarityisforwhitewomen: Exploring the Opportunities for Mobilizing Digital Counter Claims,"PS, Political Science & Politics51, no. 2 (2018): 331.

[41] Nouraie-Simone, Fereshteh, On Shifting Ground: Muslim Women in the Global Era (Revised Edition ed., New York: The Feminist Press, (2014).

[42] Loretta Kensinger, "Plugged in praxis: Critical reflections on US feminism, internet activism, and solidarity with women in Afghanistan,Journal of International Women's Studies5, no. 1 (2003): 1-28.

[43] Srila Roy, "#Metoo Is A Crucial Moment To Revisit The History Of Indian Feminism",EPW Engage, October 20, 2018.

[44] Ibid

[45] Chandra Talpade Mohanty, "Feminism without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity," Duke University Press (Februrary 2003): 499-535.

[46] Ingrid Bachmann & Valentina Proust, Old concerns, renewed focus and novel problems: feminist communication theory and the Global South,Annals of the International Communication Association 44:1(June 2019): 67-80.

[47] Shruti Mohan, 12 million women across 110,000 Indian villages are becoming tech savvy, thanks to Internet Saathi,YourStory, Jan 23, 2018.

[48] Manisha Desai, Gender and the Politics of Possibilities: Rethinking Globalization (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009).

[49] Ibid

[50] Ojebode Ayo, "How Bring Back Our Girls Went From Hashtag To Social Movement, While Rejecting Funding From Donors",Oxfam Blogs (2018),

[51] Ibid

[52] Ibid

[53] Kearl Holly, Virginia, "Facts Behind The #Metoo Movement: National Study On Sexual Harassment And Assault", Stop Street Harassment 2018 Study, Accessed March 3 2020.

[54] Jane Emma, Flaming? What Flaming? The Pitfalls and Potentials of Researching Online Hostility, Ethics and Information Technology 17 (1)(2005): 6587.

[55] Ibid

[56] Elizabeth Day, Caroline Criado-Perez: I Dont Know If I Had a Kind of Breakdown, The Guardian, December 8, 2013.

[57] Lydia Smith, Domestic Violence and Online Abuse: Half UK Survivors Experience Trolling in Tidal Wave of Hate,International Business Times, March 1, 2014.

[58] "This Research Reveals The Full Extent Of Online Misogyny And A Surprising Fact About Who's Responsible", World Economic Forum (2016).

[59] Ibid

[60] "Safelives 2019 Survey Of Domestic Abuse Practitioners In England And Wales,"Safelive, Ending Domestic Abuse, Accessed March 14 2020, http://safelives.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources/SafeLives%E2%80%99 2019 survey of domestic abuse practitioners in England %26 Wales.pdf

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The Rising Fourth Wave: Feminist Activism on Digital Platforms in India - Observer Research Foundation

Premiere: St. South’s Intimate, Aching "RED" and the Emotional Toll of Leaving – Atwood Magazine

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A journey of inner strength, heartache, and self-love, St. Souths stunning RED off her debut album Get Well Soon is as raw as it is empowering.for fans of Gordi, Amy Shark, G FlipStream: Red St. South

Ive got things to do, things to do, today

Tinges of pain, sorrow, heartache, and nostalgia color St. Souths stunning RED, a raw breakup song capturing a powerful moment of leaving the point of no return. Saying goodbye to someone youve loved is never easy, whether or not your feelings remain as strong as they once were. Yet RED is not merely about the loss of love, or the destruction of a relationship; rather, its pulsing bedroom pop sounds and St. Souths intimate performance highlight a journey of inner strength, self-empowerment, and self-love.

Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for St. Souths song RED, starring New York-based new style hip-hop dancer Diavion. The third track off St. Souths recently-released debut albumGet Well Soon(July 17, 2020 via Nettwerk Music Group), RED is a subtle and stirring outpouring of heartfelt emotion. Though not one of the records four pre-release singles, the song captures much ofGet Well Soons ethos as an inwardly-focused breakup album thats not really about the breakup, but rather about independence, self-growth, and self-love.

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p style=text-align: justify;>I guess on a surface level, Get Well Soon feels like a break-up album, Gavranich explains. But really, its a self-care album a soundtrack to self-empowerment. Its me coming out of a really rough time, and knowing that Im going to be okay, even though it really hurts in the moment. And now, a year later, when I listen back to the whole album, I realise that each song has a hopeful energy to it. But not the kind of hope that suggests youre getting your girlfriend back, but the kind that says youre getting yourself back. And in a way that makes it more about replacing hope with acceptance. Its about growing up and into yourself. Its about finding beauty in mundane routine, and being able to relax into loss without letting it envelop you. Its about pulling yourself together and holding your own hand through it all. Maybe its not a break-up album at all; maybe its about falling in love with yourself again.

While RED reads as a sort of breakup letter to an ex, the song is really more focused around the narrators learning to act in self-interest and break out of a cycle of abuse. We feel the ache of her experience come and go in lyrical flashes: Id barely woken up to not being strong enough to withstand your painful love, You have your eyes on red, I might just phone a friend if you hadnt sheltered me from them. These and more memories paint a vivid portrait of an unhealthy situation one the artist finally unshackles herself from in a fervent chorus:

These words symbol a realization that there is more to life than serving someone else; that love should be uplifting, not anchoring an inspiration, not a chore. Sometimes people we love dont treat us how we hope they will, Gavranich says of the song. Sometimes we accept their love due to lack of love for ourselves. RED is about realising this very sentiment, and mustering the strength to walk away from someone who doesnt treat you how you deserve to be treated.

Its new video is just one more way of experiencing the songs tremendous emotion as interpreted through Diavions provocative dance. I discovered Diavion on Instagram and fell in love with his movement style immediately, says Gavranich. I messaged him to see if hed be keen to choreograph or improvise something for RED. A week later, after a few back and forth messages of getting to know each other, this is what he sent back. I never thought that someone elses interpretation of this song would be so aligned with my own, but when I first watched it I welled up and got full body goosebumps because it felt so accurate. I feel super lucky to have him dancing on the official music video hes incredibly talented, and genuinely the kindest dude.

Watching Diavion manipulate his body in response to the music is an absolute thrill. His performance is controlled, yet free-flowing and smooth; he moves naturally, responding to St. Souths rhythms and beats with precision and ease. Its the kind of dancing that comes both from natural talent, as well as hours and hours worth of work, training, and dedication as is evidenced by Diavions YouTube channel, which hosts well over 500 dance videos as of this writing. Those interested can watch a seemingly endless stream of dance covers, as theyre called each a unique interpretation of another piece of music.

Per Diavion, working with St. South was a no-brainer. This song is not only inspiring to break free of abusive relationships, but to let go of anything in general that doesnt serve you, the dancer shares. And just hearing St. Souths song about it, feels like a soundtrack to personal evolution. Its addicting to listen to as well.

Like Diavion, St. Souths current art is the result of persistence, practice, and perseverance. She debuted with the now-hit single Slacks in 2014 (the track currently boasts over 35 million streams on Spotify alone), and released a debut EPNervous Energy two years later. Get Well Soons release heralds a long-awaited return for an artist who has seen tremendous growth in four years time. Its an immersive thirty-five minute soundtrack to self-empowerment, as she herself described it a musical escape and embrace that finds St. South carving out her own space in the music world.

Its a space full of light, buoyant sounds, evocative emotions, and intimate depths.Fans of artists like Gordi, Amy Shark, G Flip, and more will find a safe haven within St. Souths musical folds. Whereas vibrant numbers like If Its Not You (featuring N.Y.C.K.) and Growing Up dazzle with bright, uplifting soundscapes, RED is a reserved, candid reflection full of turbulence and bittersweet grace.

Its a diary-like entry brought to life with a heavy heart and gentle touch a song made only strong by Diavions captivating performance. Watch RED exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and streamGet Well Soon out now!

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Premiere: St. South's Intimate, Aching "RED" and the Emotional Toll of Leaving - Atwood Magazine

How Quantum Mechanics will Change the Tech Industry – Unite.AI

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Richard Feynman once said, If you think you understand quantum mechanics, then you dont understand quantum mechanics. While that may be true, it certainly doesnt mean we cant try. After all, where would we be without our innate curiosity?

To understand the power of the unknown, were going to untangle the key concepts behind quantum physics two of them, to be exact (phew!). Its all rather abstract, really, but thats good news for us, because you dont need to be a Nobel-winning theoretical physicist to understand whats going on. And whats going on? Well, lets find out.

Well start with a brief thought experiment. Austrian physicist Erwin Schrdinger wants you to imagine a cat in a sealed box. So far, so good. Now imagine a vial containing a deadly substance is placed inside the box. What happened to the cat? We cannot know to a certainty. Thus, until the situation is observed, i.e. we open the box, the cat is both dead and alive, or in more scientific terms, it is in a superposition of states. This famous thought experiment is known as the Schrdingers cat paradox, and it perfectly explains one of the two main phenomena of quantum mechanics.

Superposition dictates that, much like our beloved cat, a particle exists in all possible states up until the moment it is measured. Observing the particle immediately destroys its quantum properties, and voil, it is once again governed by the rules of classical mechanics.

Now, things are about to get more tricky, but dont be deterred even Einstein was thrown-back by the idea. Described by the man himself as spooky action at a distance, entanglement is a connection between a pair of particles a physical interaction that results in their shared state (or lack thereof, if we go by superposition).

Entanglement dictates that a change in the state of one entangled particle triggers an immediate, predictable response from the remaining particle. To put things into perspective, lets throw two entangled coins into the air. Subsequently, lets observe the result. Did the first coin land on heads? Then the measurement of the remaining coin must be tales. In other words, when observed, entangled particles counter each others measurements. No need to be afraid, though entanglement is not that common. Not yet, that is.

Whats the point of all this knowledge if I cant use it?, you may be asking. Whatever your question, chances are a quantum computer has the answer. In a digital computer, the system requires bits to increase its processing power. Thus, in order to double the processing power, you would simply double the amount of bits this is not at all similar in quantum computers.

A quantum computer uses qubits, the basic unit of quantum information, to provide processing capabilities unmatched even by the worlds most powerful supercomputers. How? Superposed qubits can simultaneously tackle a number of potential outcomes (or states, to be more consistent with our previous segments). In comparison, a digital computer can only crunch through one calculation at a time. Furthermore, through entanglement, we are able to exponentially amplify the power of a quantum computer, particularly when comparing this to the efficiency of traditional bits in a digital machine. To visualise the scale, consider the sheer amount of processing power each qubit provides, and now double it.

But theres a catch even the slightest vibrations and temperature changes, referred to by scientists as noise, can cause quantum properties to decay and eventually, disappear altogether. While you cant observe this in real time, what you will experience is a computational error. The decay of quantum properties is known as decoherence, and it is one of the biggest setbacks when it comes to technology relying on quantum mechanics.

In an ideal scenario, a quantum processor is completely isolated from its surroundings. To do so, scientists use specialised fridges, known as cryogenic refrigerators. These cryogenic refrigerators are colder than interstellar space, and they enable our quantum processor to conduct electricity with virtually no resistance. This is known as a superconducting state, and it makes quantum computers extremely efficient. As a result, our quantum processor requires a fraction of the energy a digital processor would use, generating exponentially more power and substantially less heat in the process. In an ideal scenario, that is.

Weather forecasting, financial and molecular modelling, particle physics the application possibilities for quantum computation are both enormous and prosperous.

Still, one of the most tantalising prospects is perhaps that of quantum artificial intelligence. This is because quantum systems excel at calculating probabilities for many possible choices their ability to provide continuous feedback to intelligent software is unparalleled in todays market. The estimated impact is immeasurable, spanning across fields and industries from AI in the automotive all the way to medical research. Lockheed Martin, American aerospace giant, was quick to realise the benefits, and is already leading by example with its quantum computer, using it for autopilot software testing. Take notes.

The principles of quantum mechanics are also used to address issues in cybersecurity. RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) cryptography, one of the worlds go-to methods of data encryption, relies on the difficulty of factoring (very) large prime numbers. While this may work with traditional computers, which arent particularly effective at solving multi-factor problems, quantum computers will easily crack these encryptions thanks to their unique ability to calculate numerous outcomes simultaneously.

Theoretically, Quantum key distribution takes care of this with a superposition-based encryption system. Imagine youre trying to relay sensitive information to a friend. To do so, you create an encryption key using qubits, which are then sent to the recipient over an optical cable. Had the encoded qubits been observed by a third party, both you and your friend will have been notified by an unexpected error in the operation. However, to maximise the benefits of QKD, the encryption keys would have to maintain their quantum properties at all times. Easier said than done.

It doesnt stop there. The brightest minds around the globe are constantly trying to utilise entanglement as a mode of quantum communication. So far, Chinese researchers were able to successfully beam entangled pairs of photons through their Micius satellite over a record-holding 745 miles. Thats the good news. The bad news is that, out of the 6 million entangled photons beamed each second, only one pair survived the journey (thanks, decoherence). An incredible feat nonetheless, this experiment outlines the kind of infrastructure we may use in the future to secure quantum networks.

The quantum race also saw a recent breakthrough advancement from QuTech, a research centre at TU Delft in the Netherlands their quantum system operates at a temperature over one degree warmer than absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius).

While these achievements may seem insignificant to you and I, the truth is that, try after try, such groundbreaking research is bringing us a step closer to the tech of tomorrow. One thing remains unchanged, however, and that is the glaring reality that those who manage to successfully harness the power of quantum mechanics will have supremacy over the rest of the world. How do you think they will use it?

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How Quantum Mechanics will Change the Tech Industry - Unite.AI

Money & Markets: After the virus, make sure you’ve read the inflationary playbook – E&T Magazine

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The global economic machine has taken a battering from the lockdown, and part of the recovery will involve inflation. How well placed are engineers and technologists to ride out the chaos?

Economists used to model their systems like engineers designed refineries, with money flowing around piping, through valves, and in and out of tanks. Its a handy metaphor, but it belongs in its time.

These days it might be better to update the model to our understanding (or lack of it) of quantum physics. Schrdingers cat makes for a good model of the global economy because right now it is both alive and dead at the same time and its going to be a while before we open the box and find the definitive answer.

However you measure the effect of the global lockdown, the economic losses of the last few weeks have been colossal. Sales tax measures suggest a near 50 per cent drop; overall taxes point to 28 per cent, while CO2 emissions show an 18 per cent drop off. So even with a stunningly strong recovery, the net loss to tax revenues in the UK will be hundreds of billions. If the budget is not slashed and the government has promised it wont be those losses will balloon into a bigger and bigger national debt.

The upshot of all this is that the UK, and for that matter pretty much every country on Earth, is going to balloon its public debt to levels that will make a mockery of previous attempts at controlling expenditure so that, for example, the UKs finances next year will look like Italys national debt of last year. All those economic benefits of those years of austerity have gone up in smoke in a few short weeks.

While the UK and Europe have been working flat out to ameliorate their economic woes by exploding their budgets into a series of bailouts, the US has gone all in on a scale only matched by World War Two budgets and it has boosted its money supply at an annualised rate of 100 per cent in the last three months, already banking in an over-30 per cent rise in M1 cash in that time.

As any of us who took GCSE or O-Level Economics will recall, a boost of money supply means a boost in inflation, unless more goods are made to quench the demand triggered by the boosted supply of buying power. Well its a certainty that fewer goods have been made during the lockdown, so a 30 per cent-plus increase in money supply in a few weeks has a South American hyperinflation ring to it. The US is also on the brink of monetising corporate debt the amount that added nine zeros to a German postage stamp in the 1920s. The Germans, if not licking their stamps, are still licking the wounds from that experience, which many blame for the rise of a certain moustachioed landscape painter to power.

Many economists disagree; they say that the money will be stashed just like the cash of the last ten years of QE. The money will be sequestered in ultra-valued bonds, stocks and houses and it wont leak into the hands of the wider population to flush into a buying frenzy that will drive a price rise spiral. That sounds good until you realise that much of the stimulus has gone into the hands of the public in the form of boosted social security payments. The US unemployment payout has been increased by $600 a week, making many people temporarily better off on their sofa watching Netflix or punting stocks on the zero-fee stock trading apps, rather than in their old jobs.

Its a mess, and to my mind it is an inflationary mess, with inflation being the only natural lubricator of the changes ahead for our societies.

Governments cant afford deflation. Recoveries dont happen quickly under deflation. The necessary redistribution of resources that has to now happen doesnt pan out smoothly under deflation. Inflation is the classic path of governance under pressure when crisis strikes, it is the get out of jail free card for rulers since antiquity. However, it is a crazy orthodoxy that inflation is ever so difficult to create, but you can discount that nonsense. If that isnt a huge lie, someone needs to tell Iran, Zimbabwe and Venezuela.

A more nuanced version of the inflation lie is that inflation is caused by the expectation of inflation, and once sparked, its a self-fulfilling loop. That sounds credible until you ask how come they always have banknotes with more zeros to hand as hyperinflation strikes. As the monetarists that killed the inflation of the 1970s tell us: Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon.

We are certainly entering into a period of monetary phenomena.

The next few years are going to be grim, but the strategy is the same as in every crisis. Stay employed, be working in the latest thing, buy assets when you see them super cheap.

Engineers and technologists are fortunately at the tip of the value chain and will miss the worse of whats ahead, while Aesops grasshoppers are in for a pretty nasty surprise.

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Money & Markets: After the virus, make sure you've read the inflationary playbook - E&T Magazine

Stunning video from the International Space Station shows comet Neowise soaring past Earth – CBS News

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The once-in-a-lifetime comet Neowise has already been captured by astrophotographers around the world. But Earth isn't the only place the comet is visible astronauts aboard the International Space Station are being treated to their own cosmic fireworks displays as the comet streaks across the sky throughout July.

Since Neowise survived its trip around the sun on July 3, it's been making its way towards Earth, visible with the naked eye during clear skies to people across the globe. Last week, astronauts on the ISS captured time-lapse photos of the comet, called one of the brightest in decades, which have been compiled into a spectacular real-time video.

Artist Sen Doran, whose work was on display at the Natural History Museum in London before the coronavirus lockdowns, created the videoby sourcing hundreds of images from NASA's database. Doran told CBS News on Tuesday that he has spent years creating these types of videos because time-lapses are too fast to appreciate "how beautiful the Earth appears when viewed from space."

Doran sourced 550 images from the ISS archive to create the video, processing and interpolating the sequence to its real-time equivalent of seven minutes long. He also tweeted a time-lapse of the moment, highlighting the stunning event in just 15 seconds.

The video shows the icy object Neowise, named for the NASA mission that recently discovered it, trailed by its massive dust tail as it soars past our planet. The comet almost appears to be heading toward Earth, but don't worry it isn't a threat.

The video also captured a simultaneous cosmic phenomenon bright blue noctilucent clouds. These rare "space clouds" form when sunlight bounces off of ice particles in the upper atmosphere.

Astronaut Bob Behnken, who recently launched to the ISS on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship, said that he hopes his images of the comet serve as a reminder to people back on Earth to take care of the planet.

"If we got to a disputation at dawn, right before the sun came up, that comet became visible during that short period of time when it was still close to the sun, but the sun was still hidden by the Earth," Behnken told The New York Times' podcastThe Daily last week. "It was just an awesome sight to be able to see and something that we try to capture in the few moments that we do have to look out the window."

Astronomers discovered Neowise back in March, and it came dangerously close to breaking apart when it neared the sun earlier this month. The comet has been putting on a stunning show in the early hours before sunrise in the Northern Hemisphere.

But late sleepers need not worry the comet started appearing in the evening this week. To view it, people in the Northern Hemisphere can look to the northwestern sky, just below Ursa Major, commonly known as the Big Dipper constellation.

Scientists say the comet will be visible for about another month. In conditions with little light pollution, it may be visible with the naked eye, but NASA recommends using binoculars or a telescope to spot its long tail.

Newowise's closest approach to Earth comes on July 22, at a distance of about 64 million miles. The event is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience the comet takes about 6,800 years to complete its path around the sun.

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Stunning video from the International Space Station shows comet Neowise soaring past Earth - CBS News

Kim Zolciak-Biermann Bares Her Butt in the Tiniest Thong Bikini – Bravo

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What would the summer season be without a sighting of Kim Zolciak-Biermann and her stunning clan in a series of barely-there swimsuits?Not only has the Don't Be Tardy mom already graced us with sexy shots of her new swimcollection, but she's also serving us a few cheeky numbers fresh from hervacation.

The Biermann ladies have spent the last few days lounging poolside and posing inbeach-adjacent locales in a slew of bold swimwear styles. Naturally,Ariana, Brielle, and Kim brought along a healthy amount of Salty K Swimwear looks to rock all vacation long. And though every member of the Biermann fam is fully capable of turning heads, Kim just shared a sun-kissed photo that stopped us in our tracks.

On July 16, Kim posted a bum-baring pic in which she tookin the sights and providedone of her own. "Good morning everyone! Give it your all today Dont half ass anything," she hilariously wrote in the caption of a photo that flaunts almost all of her curves.

In the shot, Kim sporteda skimpy swimsuit set of her own design. Soluckily, you can grab a Salty K Seasalt Top ($95) and Salty K Seasalt Bottom ($95) yourself fab physique not included.

Bravos Style & Living is your window to the fabulous lifestyles of Bravolebrities. Be the first to know about all the best fashion and beauty looks, the breathtaking homes Bravo stars live in, everything theyre eating and drinking, and so much more. Sign up to become a Bravo Insider and get exclusive extras.

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Kim Zolciak-Biermann Bares Her Butt in the Tiniest Thong Bikini - Bravo

Comprehensive report on Internet Banking Market with Top Key players like CGI, Financial Network services, Corillian, COR Financial Solutions, I-flex…

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Internet banking enables customers of a financial institution, such as retail bank, credit union, building society, or virtual bank to carry financial transactions on a secure network employed by the institution. Moreover, increase in use of mobile phones is also likely to boost the growth of the market in the estimated forecast period. In addition, increase in adoption of technology is also likely to boost the growth of the market.

The global Internet Banking market is expected to expand at a CAGR of +11% over the forecast period 2020-2026.

Internet Banking Market Report defines and briefs readers about its products, applications, and specifications. The research lists key companies operating in the global market and also highlights the key changing trends adopted by the companies to maintain their dominance. By using SWOT analysis and Porters five force analysis tools, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of key companies are all mentioned in the report. All leading players in this global market are profiled with details such as product types, business overview, sales, manufacturing base, competitors, applications, and specifications.

Top Key Vendors in Market:

CGI, Financial Network services, Corillian, COR Financial Solutions, I-flex Solutions, Canopus Software Laboratory, First Source Bank, and Rockall Technologies

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The Internet Banking market comprises in-depth assessment of this sector. This statistical report also provides a detailed study of the demand and supply chain in the global sector. The competitive landscape has been elaborated by describing the various aspects of the leading industries such as shares, profit margin, and competition at the domestic and global level.

Different global regions such as North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and India have been analyzed on the basis of the manufacturing base, productivity, and profit margin. This Internet Banking market research report has been scrutinized on the basis of different practical oriented case studies from various industry experts and policymakers. It uses numerous graphical presentation techniques such as tables, charts, graphs, pictures and flowchart for easy and better understanding to the readers.

Different internal and external factors such as, Internet Banking Market have been elaborated which are responsible for driving or restraining the progress of the companies. To discover the global opportunities different methodologies have been included to increase customers rapidly.

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Table of Content:

Global Internet Banking Market Research Report 2020-2026

Chapter 1: Industry Overview

Chapter 2: Internet Banking Market International and China Market Analysis

Chapter 3: Environment Analysis of Internet Banking.

Chapter 4: Analysis of Revenue by Classifications

Chapter 5: Analysis of Revenue by Regions and Applications

Chapter 6: Analysis of Internet Banking Market Revenue Market Status.

Chapter 7: Analysis of Internet Banking Industry Key Manufacturers

Chapter 8: Sales Price and Gross Margin Analysis

Chapter 9: Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Internet Banking.

Chapter 10: Development Trend of Internet Banking Market 2020-2026.

Chapter 11: Industry Chain Suppliers of Internet Banking with Contact Information.

Chapter 12: New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Market.

Chapter 13: Conclusion of the Internet Banking Market Industry 2025 Market Research Report.

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Comprehensive report on Internet Banking Market with Top Key players like CGI, Financial Network services, Corillian, COR Financial Solutions, I-flex...

Rasheeda Frost Switches Up Her Look And Fans Are Here For It Check Out Her Outfits And Hairdos – Celebrity Insider

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Rasheeda Frost shared some new pics in which she is flaunting some pretty cool outfits from Pressed Boutique. She is also flaunting various wigs, and fans simply adore her new looks.

Check out the recent photos that she shared on her social media account below.

Good morning! Felt like platinum so here it goes!! What we gonna call her?? @diamonddynastyvirginhair, Rasheeda captioned her post.

Someone said: Rasheeda. The girl who marries the man she put it on him lol, and another follower posted this message: Im a big fan, my sister! U rock all ur hair so Bossy and Beautiful.

A commenter wrote: Wow that looks really nice on you my god beautiful. Yero aka the internet, and someone else said: Hope u n ur family r all well keep safe love u.

One other follower posted this message: When youre that beautiful, it doesnt matter what your hair looks like lol, but yes, that Platinum is so beautiful. I wanted this color but my beautician couldnt get me more than 2 notches past blonde. Ugh.

A follower said: Where can I get these dresses I will wear all three, and someone else responded that the dresses are from the Pressed Boutique.

A fan gushed over Rasheeda and said: She looks fabulous in everything she wears, and someone else posted this: Love you with the platinum blonde, both dresses are cute.

Someone else wrote: Hard decision, I love the blue and yellow. But damn the pink and yellow looks cute as well, and a fan said: Both the colors nice and they look comfortable.

Not too long ago, Rasheeda Frost showed off a new look and her fans are right here for this. The Boss Lady was sporting a short bob and a new hair color.

Fans made sure to jump in the comments and praise Rasheeda.

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In other news, Rasheeda shocked her fans with this videoin which shes addressing the fasting that shes doing for 30 days.

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Pets across Flintshire and Wrexham in the spotlight – LeaderLive

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As a nation of animal lovers, we asked our readers to share with us photos and stories about the pets in their family.

Maybe you have a rescue animal that has made a difference in both your lives.

From the exotic and unusual, to sofa-hogging cats and dogs, whether its a funny photo, story or event, we want to hear from you.

Or you can email your pictures or stories to claire.pierce@newsquest.co.uk

Here are some of our readers' pets we've heard about...

Helen Ellis, from Sealand: "This is Bella and she is my daughter Chelsea's dog, her baby."

Helen also introduced us to another four-legged friend: "This is Poppy, she is part of the family. She is loving and such good company and we would not be without her."

Wendy Wynn, from Wrexham: "Erica was one of four pups born on Christmas Eve. She was smallest born and cheeky. She has had epilepsy since she was four-weeks-old but is doing fine now."

Jane Hughes, from Holywell: "Llewellyn is 13. He's a bit of a drama queen, doesn't like visitors, bad smells and will only eat the expensive food. Llewellyn was born in this house, unfortunately all his siblings and parents have died now but he's still going strong."

Seth Livesey, from Wrexham: "Digby is a two-year-old flatcoated retriever. Hes obsessed with his teddies and loves meeting new people to give a flattie wash! Hes got lots of friends on his walks and says hello to them every night. We both love sweets and ice lollies. My Nain said Digby is me but in fluffy pants!"

Charlotte Cooper, from Broughton: "Yogi is a rescue dog and we've had him for almost five years. We think he's about nine-years-old and he loves people! He will always want to stop and chat to people when out for a walk but can be a bit frustrated with other dogs. He's a super big brother to his human siblings, two-year-old Teddy and nine-week-old Ivy."

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Pets across Flintshire and Wrexham in the spotlight - LeaderLive

Brett Bennett to Join Crowley Logistics as Senior VP and GM – Sea News

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Crowley Maritime Corporation announced today that Brett Bennett will join the company Aug. 3 as senior vice president and general manager of Crowley Logistics, the companys largest business unit with more than $1 billion in annual revenue. He will report to Ray Fitzgerald, Crowleys chief operating officer, and work from the corporate headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.

Bennett comes to Crowley from Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions where he served as senior vice president and head of global terminals and stevedoring. He has more than 25 years of experience focused on transportation and end-to-end logistics, including a 12-year stint with Damco Distribution Services, Maersks logistics arm. While there, he served as chief operating officer-USA and vice president of operations and strategic client management.

We are very much looking forward to having Brett join our team, said Fitzgerald. He is a confident leader who builds and motivates top-caliber teams through periods of substantial growth and change, which is where we are today with our logistics organization. He has demonstrated success guiding revenue growth, cultivating strategic accounts and leading staff to support business development. And, as an operations expert, he is dedicated to finding process and digital solutions for improved efficiency, safety, compliance, and cost-effectiveness.

We are growing our logistics business and adding new technologies and systems to enhance the customer experience, said Tom Crowley, chairman and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation. Brett will bring new perspectives and ideas to help us get where we want to go.

Bennett began his career as terminal manager-Pier G for Sea-Land Service (a Maersk company) in Long Beach, Calif. He was later promoted to director-Southern California Marine Terminals for APM Maersk and managing director of APM Terminals in Elizabeth, N.J., before joining Damco. Bennett earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from The Citadel, Military College of South Carolina, in Charleston, S.C.

Bennett is succeeding Steve Collar, who retired last month after a distinguished 43-year career with Crowley.

Sea News, July 21

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Brett Bennett to Join Crowley Logistics as Senior VP and GM - Sea News

Native Midwest ferns grow well in shady spots – Chicago Daily Herald

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There are many ferns native to our Illinois gardens, all ready to add textural contrast for bold-foliaged perennials or linear sedges.

Adiantum pedatum, commonly called Northern maidenhair fern, is ideal for the heavily shaded garden where other perennials suffer from lack of light. It grows up to 2 feet tall, but often stays as short as a foot while spreading very slowly by rhizomes to form magnificent colonies with time.

Its lacy fronds of light green leaves are held on arching, thin, black stems. Plants would choose a spot in damp woods (and do in their native habitats) but grow happily in average to moist, rich garden soil. Fronds may brown in hot, dry summers without supplemental water.

Northern maidenhair ferns are not favored by deer or rabbits and rarely suffer from insect or disease problems.

Dryopteris marginalis does not spread and instead forms a tidy, vase-shaped clump of leathery, dark green fronds. Commonly called wood fern or marginal shield fern because of the way it produces its spores along the outer margins of its fronds, it thrives in moist, rich, well-drained soil. Once established, however, marginal shield fern can tolerate short periods of drought.

Its 18- to 30-inch fronds look their best all season if planted in a site protected from strong winds. Semi-evergreen, they remain green in the winter garden until snow covers them.

Marginal shield ferns are not bothered by insects, diseases or munching garden marauders.

Matteuccia struthiopteris, also known as ostrich fern, is taller than most other native ferns. Growing 4 feet tall or more, it is best for gardens with room for it to spread out. It expands quickly when planted in consistently moist soil in part to full shade.

Its attractive, bright green fiddleheads emerge from the soil in spring. Feathery, medium green fronds remain attractive until summer takes its toll. Large, dark brown fertile fronds rise from the center of plants in summer.

Plant ostrich ferns in wet areas where other perennials are difficult to grow. Deer and rabbits won't eat them first (or even second).

If a more mannerly fern is needed for a consistently moist area, Onoclea sensibilis is a lovely choice. Commonly called sensitive fern because its bright green fronds succumb to the first fall frost, it grows 3 to 4 feet tall. It also spreads by rhizomes but at a much less rambunctious rate than ostrich ferns.

Grow sensitive ferns in rich, consistently moist, well-drained soil in part to full shade. Unable to tolerate dry soil, watering is necessary during periods without sufficient rainfall.

In late summer, their shorter, woody fertile fronds turn brown and remain attractive well into winter. Insects and diseases rarely, if ever, bother sensitive ferns, and rabbits don't find their fronds delicious.

Choose native ferns when considering adding ferns to a shade garden. Plant them alongside other natives like foamflowers and Solomon's seal and non-natives like purple-foliaged coral bells and hostas.

Diana Stoll is a horticulturist, garden writer and speaker. She blogs at gardenwithdiana.com.

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Native Midwest ferns grow well in shady spots - Chicago Daily Herald

More than 60,000 new virus cases every day in US – Dunya News

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States on Monday recorded more than 60,000 new cases of coronavirus infection for the seventh consecutive day, Johns Hopkins University reported in its real-time tally.

With another 488 deaths and 61,288 cases registered in 24 hours, the country has a total of 140,922 deaths and 3.82 million cases, the Baltimore-based university said at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Tuesday).

President Donald Trump on Monday finally spoke out in favor of mask-wearing -- a marked change of tune as polls show him headed for election disaster in November as the US has emerged as the worlds worst-hit country in the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you cant socially distance," Trump wrote. "There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President!"

- Troubled Trump to relaunch coronavirus briefings -

US President Donald Trump promised Monday to resume televised coronavirus briefings and finally spoke out in favor of mask-wearing -- a marked change of tune as polls show him headed for election disaster.

With only just over 100 days until the election against Democrat Joe Biden, Trump is scrambling to respond to public anger over his troubled months-long handling of the pandemic.

Since the virus first hit the United States, Trump has insisted that it will just "disappear."

But that sunny claim is now badly strained even among loyal supporters, as they watch COVID-19 cases surge through populous Republican-led states like Florida and Texas.

More widely, polls show public trust in Trumps management of the crisis tanking.

Throughout, he has sought to deny the seriousness of the problem, an attitude symbolized by his mockery of masks and refusal to back up doctors recommendations for mass use.

Trump went some way to addressing that Monday with a tweeted picture of himself in a black mask with the presidential seal and a call for patriotism.

"Many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you cant socially distance," Trump wrote. "There is nobody more Patriotic than me, your favorite President!"

However, his tweet stopped well short of endorsing calls from some for a nationwide mandate to wear masks in public.

- Doing very well -

Trump, a lifelong real estate salesman and more recently reality TV performer, says the real problem is that Americans just arent hearing the right news.

So, likely from Tuesday he will resume the regular evening televised briefings from the White House that he gave until late April, often finding himself accused of giving confusing or misleading information.

"I think its a great way to get information out to the public," he told reporters. "Were doing very well in so many different ways."

Trump acknowledged a current "big flare-up" of cases in the country but once again distanced himself from responsibility for the problem, underlining that the disease is also ravaging "Mexico, Brazil, many countries in Europe, all over, Russia."

"When you watch the news, the local news, and you see it, and its, its like all about the United States. They never like to talk about whats going on in the world," he said.

Trump said the briefings would focus on good news regarding vaccine development and therapeutics.

"We think were doing very well in that regard," he said. "I think Im going to be bringing in some of the great companies that are working very successfully."

"Were really coming up with some very good answers," he said.

- PR fiasco -

Trump has great faith in his ability before the cameras. He has transformed the image of the US presidency during his first term with unprecedented streams of press conferences, tweets and rallies.

But his previous spell as the nations pandemic-spokesman in chief ended badly in late April.

Trump often turned what were billed as opportunities to provide the anxious public with information into testy exchanges with reporters in the White House briefing room.

He finally ditched the events after a PR fiasco where he mused on air about the possibility of injecting household disinfectant to combat COVID-19.

He later said he had been speaking "sarcastically," although there was no evidence of that at the time.

- Polls slide -

The president has consistently sought to play down the severity of the health crisis, hoping that voters will instead focus on what he touts as his good management of the economy.

In an interview with "Fox News Sunday," he once again claimed that the virus, which has killed more than 140,000 Americans and caused massive economic disruption, would somehow go away by itself.

"Ill be right eventually," he said.

But with the virus on the rebound, he finds himself accused of failing to lead.

Biden has opened a double-digit lead in election polls, and an ABC/ Washington Post poll released Friday showed nearly two-thirds of Americans mistrust Trump on the coronavirus.

Trump, nevertheless, appears to be looking forward to his chance to get back to the briefing room podium.

"We had very successful briefings. I was doing them and we had a lot of people watching, record numbers watching. In the history of cable television, theres never been anything like it," he said.

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More than 60,000 new virus cases every day in US - Dunya News

Studies show microplastics are causing a negative impact to the health of the River Thames and its inhabitants – The Natural History Museum

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Separate new studies by Postgraduate students Alex McGoran, Katharine Rowley and Katherine McCoy, all from the Department of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway, reveal that microplastics, are present in high quantities throughout the tidal Thames and are being ingested by wildlife.

Fibres from washing machine outflows and potentially from sewage outfalls, are most commonly ingested by wildlife; but fragments from the breakup of larger plastics, such as packaging items are most abundant in the water. Flushable wet wipes were found in high abundance on the shoreline forming huge unsightly reefs. Although pollution from trace metals is now on the decline, the contamination of the Thames by plastic is a major issue.

The research of Alex McGoran1, NERC DTP PhD student (Royal Holloway and NHM) and supported by the Fishmongers Company Charitable Trust, reports how two resident estuarine species of crab, namely the native shore crab and the invasive Chinese mitten crab, are ingesting microplastics.

In total, 135 crabs were examined and 874 pieces and tangles of plastic, mainly in the form of fibres, were removed for their bodies. Frequently these fibres form tangles comprising up to 100 pieces of plastic and fill the stomach of many crabs which could reduce the urge to feed and leave the animals, with less energy for growth and reproduction.

About 95% of mitten crabs were found to have tangled plastic in the stomach. Although tangles were dominated by fibres, they were found to contain other fragments of microplastics from sanitary pads, balloons, elastic bands and carrier bags.

Typically, microplastic ingestion is low in many species, with the exception of some groups, such as seabirds. Upon bringing these crabs back to the labs at Natural History Museum, it was shocking to find that they were full of plastic. Tangles of plastic were particularly prevalent in the invasive Chinese mitten crab and we still dont fully understand the reason for this. We propose that when crabs moult (shedding their exoskeleton to grow) that plastic is trapped in the discarded gut lining, said Alex McGoran.

Two additional studies into the pollution of the Thames by plastic were undertaken by Masters Students.

Katharine Rowley2 (Royal Holloway, NHM and ZSL) focussed on the quantification of microplastics in the River Thames water column.

Katharine recorded many forms of microplastic in the Thames, ranging from glitter, microbeads to plastic fragments. Her study found that 93.5% of microplastics in the water column were most likely formed from the fragmentation of larger plastic items, with food packaging thought to be a significant source for these plastics.

Her study found high levels of microplastics in the Thames, estimating that on peak ebb tides, 94 thousand microplastics flow down the River Thames per second in some areas. This study highlights the severity of microplastic contamination in the River Thames and the grave need for the reduction of plastic input into the freshwater environment.

Katharine Rowley, said: Our study provides baseline data for microplastic contamination in the River Thames water column. Globally, in comparison to published estimates of microplastic contamination in marine and freshwater environments, the River Thames contains very high levels of this pollutant, potentially a major input to the North Sea. With the potential threats of plastic pollution to both human and ecosystem health, it is of great importance that the input of plastic into marine and freshwater environments is reduced.

The research of Katherine McCoy (Royal Holloway and NHM), in collaboration with river clean-up charity, Thames21, looked at flushable and non-flushable wet wipes as a source of plastic pollution in the River Thames and the environmental impacts they have on the invasive Asian clam. Wet wipes found in sewage effluent are deposited in large numbers on the foreshore on the south bank, just upstream from Hammersmith Bridge, creating massive wet wipe reefs. This study demonstrated that high densities of wet wipes are associated with low population numbers of clams, and vice versa. It was found that clams adjacent to the wet wipe reefs contained synthetic polymers, some of which may have originated from the wet wipe reefs and other pollutants found on the site such as sanitary items.

Katherine McCoy, said: This research highlights the impacts of improper waste disposal on our environment, especially the flushing of wet wipes. These products are often described as flushable, but they have been known to block sewage pipes by contributing to fatbergs and have now been seen to cause environmental disruption on the foreshores of the river Thames. Our study shows that stricter regulations are needed for the labelling and disposal of these products. There is great scope to further research the impacts of microplastics and indeed microfibres on Thames organisms.

Dr Paul Clark, Life Sciences Department, NHM said I was born in London and as a child I remember the Thames as a heavily polluted river which led to the decline of its fish populations. When the Government ordered a clean-up of the catchment the River returned back to life. What our students have shown in this collaboration is that although the Thames is certainly cleaner with regards some chemical pollutants, e.g. heavy metals, the River is severely polluted with plastic. And once again our wildlife is threatened.

Professor Dave Morritt from the Department of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway, said: Taken together these studies show how many different types of plastic, from microplastics in the water through to larger items of debris physically altering the foreshore, can potentially affect a wide range of organisms in the River Thames.

The increased use of single-use plastic items, and the inappropriate disposal of such items, including masks and gloves, along with plastic-containing cleaning products, during the current Covid-19 pandemic, may well exacerbate this problem.

Thames Water has recently reported an increase in wet wipe-related blockages of sewer systems and when the Covid-19 restrictions on fieldwork are lifted, it would be interesting to find out the prevalence of these products in the River Thames.

We must not forget that, although these studies illustrate the problem on a local scale, plastic pollution is very much a global issue.

Anna Cucknell, ZSLs Thames Project Manager, said: Plastic pollution is devastating for aquatic ecosystems and I was shocked by the densities we found. Our study showed the majority of microplastics in the Thames are created by larger plastic items breaking down which is why the #OneLess campaign, led by ZSL and partners, is working to reduce single use plastic water bottles in London. To date it has eliminated 4.4 million single-use plastic water bottles from London's supply chains and removed 114,000 from the Thames. Thanks to decades of conservation two species of seal and more than 100 species of fish including sharks, seahorses and the Critically Endangered European eel, call the Thames Estuary home. We must not let plastic pollution threaten their survival.

Media contact: Tel: +44 (0)779 969 0151 Email:press@nhm.ac.uk

Alexandra R McGoran, Paul F Clark, Brian D Smith, David Morritt. 2020. High prevalence of plastic ingestion by Eriocheir sinensis and Carcinus maenas (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) in the Thames Estuary. Environmental Pollution. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114972

Katherine A McCoy, Daniella J Hodgson, Paul F Clark, David Morritt. 2020. The effects of wet wipe pollution on the invasive Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea (Mollusca: Bivalvia) in the River Thames, London. Environmental Pollution. 264: 114577. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114577

Katharine H Rowley, A-C Cucknell, Brian D Smith, Paul F Clark, David Morritt. 2020. Londons river of plastic: Thames densities are some of the highest recorded in the world. Science of the Total Environment. 740: 140018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140018

The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most-visited natural history museum in Europe. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanitys needs with those of the natural world.

It is custodian of one of the worlds most important scientific collections comprising over 80 million specimens. The scale of this collection enables researchers from all over the world to document how species have and continue to respond to environmental changes - which is vital in helping predict what might happen in the future and informing future policies and plans to help the planet.

The Museums 300 scientists continue to represent one of the largest groups in the world studying and enabling research into every aspect of the natural world. Their science is contributing critical data to help the global fight to save the future of the planet from the major threats of climate change and biodiversity loss through to finding solutions such as the sustainable extraction of natural resources.

The Museum uses its enormous global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet - to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We welcome over five million visitors each year; our digital output reaches hundreds of thousands of people in over 200 countries each month and our touring exhibitions have been seen by around 30 million people in the last 10 years.

Royal Holloway, University of London, is ranked in the top 20 universities in the UK[1]. Through world class research that expands minds and changes lives, the dedication of our teachers and the feel of the Royal Holloway experience, ours is a community that inspires individuals to succeed academically, socially and personally.

The university was founded by two social reformers who pioneered the ideal of education and knowledge for all who could benefit. Their vision lives on today. As one of the UKs leading research-intensive universities we are home to some of the worlds foremost authorities in the sciences, arts, business, economics and law. We are strengthened by diversity, and welcome students and academics who travel from all over the world to study and work here, ensuring an international and multi-cultural perspective within a close knit and historic campus.

ZSL (Zoological Society of London) is an international conservation charity working to create a world where wildlife thrives. From investigating the health threats facing animals to helping people and wildlife live alongside each other, ZSL is committed to bringing wildlife back from the brink of extinction. Our work is realised through our ground-breaking science, our field conservation around the world and engaging millions of people through our two zoos, ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. For more information, visit http://www.zsl.org

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Global Teflon O-Rings Market Size, Covid-19 Impact Analysis, key Insights Based on Product Type, End-use and Regional Demand Till 2026 – 3rd Watch…

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The latest market report namely Global Teflon O-Rings Market Size, Status and Forecast 2020-2026 offers an overall study on the market covering market share, size, growth aspects, and main players. The report presents a complete market analysis on the basis of key segments such as product type, application, key companies, and key regions, end-users for the forecast period from 2020 to 2026. The report comprises brief information on the regional competitive landscape, market trends, and drivers, opportunities and challenges, distributors, sales channels, risks, and barriers as well as Porters five forces. The research helps each participant to understand the competitive strength of the market. Also, different perspectives on the global Teflon O-Rings market have been provided in the market.

In the overview section, the report covers the basic market introduction, market analysis by its applications, type, and regions. The growth estimation of the global Teflon O-Rings market is given on the basis of calculation by various segmentation and past and current data. It also gives information about the topmost manufacturers which are presently functioning in this industry. The report further highlights market drivers and impact, as well as growing demand from key regions, growing demand from key applications and potential industries, and challenges.

DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT: https://www.magnifierresearch.com/report-detail/20725/request-sample

NOTE: Our analysts monitoring the situation across the globe explains that the market will generate remunerative prospects for producers post COVID-19 crisis. The report aims to provide an additional illustration of the latest scenario, economic slowdown, and COVID-19 impact on the overall industry.

Research Methodology:

Market analysis is obtained through in-depth secondary research which is validated and verified by primary interviews. The report examines the global Teflon O-Rings market using various research approaches that form Porters Five Force Model. Every primary research is analyzed and the average market volume is deduced and reconfirmed before incorporating it in the report. Moreover, another method called the SWOT analysis is also used that helps to identify and underline the main strengths, weaknesses, risks, and opportunities.

The well-established players in the market: Sterling Seal and Supply, Polymax, J.V.Corporation, Eastern Seals, Seal and Design, All Seals, Interplast, Rocket Seals, Elastoring,

By the product type, the market is primarily split into: Cross-Section <0.1 inches, Cross-Section 0.1-0.2 inches, Cross-Section 0.2-0.3 inches, Cross-Section >0.3 inches,

By the end-users/application, this report covers the following segments: Aerospace, Food, Pharmaceuticals, Telecommunications, Other

Geographically, the global Teflon O-Rings market is segmented into North America (United States, Canada, Mexico), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Rest of Europe), Central & South America (Brazil, Rest of South America), Middle East & Africa (GCC Countries, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of Middle East & Africa)

ACCESS FULL REPORT: https://www.magnifierresearch.com/report/global-teflon-o-rings-market-size-status-and-forecast-20725.html

Reasons To Get This Report:

Customization of the Report:This report can be customized to meet the clients requirements. Please connect with our sales team ([emailprotected]), who will ensure that you get a report that suits your needs. You can also get in touch with our executives on +1-201-465-4211 to share your research requirements.

About Us

Magnifier Research is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry. Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Magnifier Research also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise. We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover. Magnifier Research provides you the full spectrum of services related to market research, and corroborate with the clients to increase the revenue stream, and address process gaps.

Contact UsMark StoneHead of Business DevelopmentPhone: +1-201-465-4211Email: [emailprotected]Web: http://www.magnifierresearch.com

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Global Teflon O-Rings Market Size, Covid-19 Impact Analysis, key Insights Based on Product Type, End-use and Regional Demand Till 2026 - 3rd Watch...

Nanometals Market 2020 By Regional Trend and Growth Forecast To 2026| Reinste, Eprui Nanomaterials & Microspheres, Baikowski, ABC Nanotech, Amag…

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Los Angeles, United State: The global Nanometals market is exhaustively studied in the report while largely concentrating on vital aspects including competitive landscape, market dynamics, costs and prices, sales growth, regional expansion, production, and consumption. The report offers Porters Five Forces, PESTEL, and other market analyses to provide a 360-degree research study on the global Nanometals market. It discusses about important market strategies, future plans, market share growth, and product portfolios of leading companies operating in the global Nanometals market. It also provides absolute dollar opportunity and qualitative and quantitative analyses to help readers clearly understand the global Nanometals market.

Get Full PDF Sample Copy of Report: (Including Full TOC, List of Tables & Figures, Chart)https://www.qyresearch.com/sample-form/form/1776151/1940907/global-nanometals-market

The authors of the report have covered almost all key players of the global Nanometals market. The research study comes out as a brilliant compilation of several important studies on the competitive landscape of the global Nanometals market. It shows how top players are maintaining their supremacy in the global Nanometals market using powerful business tactics, price strategies, and other strategic moves. It digs deep into the nature and characteristics of the vendor landscape and includes accurate predictions of key changes in market competition.

Key Players Mentioned in the Global Nanometals Market Research Report: Reinste, Eprui Nanomaterials & Microspheres, Baikowski, ABC Nanotech, Amag Pharmaceuticals, Chengyin Technology, Nanoamor, Polyscience, Bangs Laboratories, Duke Scientific, SkySpring Nanomaterials, DA Nanomaterials, Diamond-Fusion International, Silco International, Surrey Nanosystems, DuPont, NanoE

Global Nanometals Market by Type: Silver, Gold, Platinum, Other

Global Nanometals Market by Application: Electronics, Energy, Pharmaceutical Industry, Other

The comprehensive segmental study provided in the report gives industry-best intelligence on the current and future market positions of all segments of the global Nanometals market. It helps players to become aware of upcoming segments and key growth pockets so that they could cash in on some rewarding opportunities available in the global Nanometals market. Each segment is analyzed with a broad focus on its market share, growth journey during the forecast period, and future growth prospects. The analysts have mainly segmented the global Nanometals market into product type and application segments.

The researchers have shed light on important regional markets and their recent as well as future progress in terms of CAGR, revenue and volume growth, production, consumption, and other significant factors. The regional segmentation study offers players with great insights into the regional growth of the market, which could be used to build effective strategies to expand their geographical reach.

Questions Answered by the Report:

Which are the dominant players of the global Nanometals market?

What will be the size of the global Nanometals market in the coming years?

Which segment will lead the global Nanometals market?

How will the market development trends change in the next five years?

What is the nature of the competitive landscape of the global Nanometals market?

What are the go-to strategies adopted in the global Nanometals market?

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QY Research established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc.

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Nanometals Market 2020 By Regional Trend and Growth Forecast To 2026| Reinste, Eprui Nanomaterials & Microspheres, Baikowski, ABC Nanotech, Amag...